Herbs for cottage garden in SA

19 years ago

Hi Everyone,

Could anyone tell me the best herbs for a cottage garden in South Australia?

I have lavender and two types of rosemary growing now, would love to have some more.

Any help gratefully recieved :-)

HAppy herb growing

Gill

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

andy_sa
19 years ago
Depends on whether you want culinary, medicinal or decorative herbs. Some perennials that I've found do particularly well in SA with little attention/water are:

Santolina (cotton lavender)
Perennial basil
Curry plant
Wormwood
Southernwood
Thyme (all varieites)
Dyer's chamomile
Winter savory
Emperor's mint (Micromeria)
Lemon grass
Lemon verbena
Citronella
Scented perlargoniums
Sage (all varieties)
Rue

Hope this list helps - it's by no means conclusive.
Daisyduckworth
19 years ago
Is there such a thing as a cottage garden without ROSES? These are herbs, too, you know. Also heliotrope, day lillies and many other flowering plants. Chives, garlic chives and parsley or chervil make terrific borders.
Related Discussions
Hill Garden - Cottage Garden Start
Q
Comments (6)
What a lovely look you've got going here!! Thank you for sharing your pics with us all. You might consider adding some roses that can grow along and through the fence sections- hybrid musks are very nice, or try Mutabilis, or Golden Wings. Be careful about getting roses that are super thorny on the arch though, makes it harder to tie the canes down on it. Honeysuckle and Clematis on the arch are also great classics to add on the arch. Salvias, russian sage, lavendars are nice for filling out in front of the fence sections, rosemary, oregano and other herbs could work well too. Butterfly bush is always very nice, and cottage flowers of all types. A walking pathway of flat irregular shaped stones running the length between the front planting to those against the fence could be nice, of a similar coloration as the edging rocks placed at the lawn area. Love the peacock sculpture, where did you find it? To see pics of our recent landscaping projects and Roses we grow, ck out out my Picture Trail: careytearose Here is a link that might be useful: look at Landscaping Projects, Favourite ROSES We Grow albums
...See More
Wikipedia's history of the Cottage Garden
Q
Comments (1)
FlowerLady- Great post! I really like that watercolor :)
...See More
Vegetables in the cottage garden
Q
Comments (12)
Rita- Yes, they would eat up the garden! There's an electric wire fence, behind the garden and they're standing right up next to it. The horses show up, anytime I take out my camera...I swear, they love to have their picture taken :) Annette- Your garden sounds like the perfect cottage style...everything tucked in together and making an attractive and useful combination. I like your idea of snacking on strawberries, while gardening! Natal- Thanks for the tip. I haven't had much luck with pumpkins, but I thought I'd try starting the seeds early and setting out plants. I might try hilling them more, too...that clay is so darn cold, even in early June. I did get some Fairy squash, which is supposed to ripen much earlier and I've had good luck with the summer squashes. As for pole beans, surprisingly, they've done pretty well. I mix together the Emerite and Purple pole and the lavender and purple flowers look beautiful together. We do get some beans and the green and purple are fun to pick...and the kids love to watch the purple beans turn dark green, when we cook them. Luckygal- Good to know about the tires. We have some really old tires I was going to use, so I don't know if that will be better or worse. Thanks for the link and I'll try to find out a little more, before we plant. We've had lots of rain, too. It seems more like early April than May, but it is supposed to be sunny and upper 60s the next two days, so I'm hoping to get a lot planted. Then rain for another five days...oh well, at least I don't have to water, yet.
...See More
Restoring My Old Cottage Herb Garden
Q
Comments (4)
Vikki, When it rains a great deal as it has been doing this year, runoff water runs down the hill above the house and the water pools in the Herb Garden paths and in one bed. So I put in those clay sewage pipes to allow the water to move on out. I need to add more topsoil and build up the beds so they are higher and fill the paths with brick pavers and/or gravel so I don't have to walk in standing water and slippery clay mud. Money and health issues prevent me from doing anything about it right now, but someday..... (grin). And Vikki, Tomatoes really are an herb. MeMo, there are actually six beds in there and some Blackberries along the east fenceline. They are a bit obscure because of the overgrown plants in there....the ones that survived the standing water, that is. With all the rain we've had, all the "vegetation" on the property has grown way out of their beds and boundaries, and it is jungle-y, and it is just awful, especially in the lower gardens! In the back you can see the big peach tree. I told it that if it doesn't make fruit next year, it is going to the burn pile. I want peaches, not more shade. I'm still working on my pipe dream. ~ Annie "Blow up the TV; Throw away your paper; Go out to the country; Build you a home. Plant a little garden; Eat a lot of peaches; Try an' find Jesus on your own" - John Prine
...See More
Spatzbear
19 years ago
All the above plus coriander, feverfew, pyrethrum, marjoram, oregano, lemon balm, nasturtiums, etc. That's all I can think of right now. :)
Jamus_S
19 years ago
I'll make some suggestions if you like. Space out some perennial herbs for starters, low ones at the front of the beds, thyme, winter savory, lemon savory, chives. Then some taller perennial herbs like oregano, margoram, golden margoram, calamint, sage etc. Then at the back or in the middle of the bed taller things like your rosemary, wormwood, lemon verbena, rue, a bay tree (essential) etc. This will give you an all year round base which you can plant around with annual things like fennel, dill, parsley, basil, etc. A herb garden run like this will self seed many annual herbs so once you have them you don't need to buy them again, you just move the little seedlings around and pull out the ones you don't need. I've only listed european-ish type culinary herbs. If you're into medicinal plants or asian culinary herbs you could incorporate those. things like lemongrass and curry leaf tree form a good perennial base for an asian herb garden. Or mix it all up, it's up to you. Keep plants lke rosemary and lavendar well pruned so they are compact and neat. If you spend a bit of time trimming and shaping your herb garden it'll look beautiful. things like wormwood can get out of control and smother other things.
Have fun!!!

Related Stories

KITCHEN DESIGN Kitchen of the Week: Rustic Space Opens to Herb and Vegetable Gardens

By Jeannie Matteucci

Well-chosen recycled and repurposed features create a North Carolina cottage kitchen with a distinctive look and personality

Full Story

EDIBLE GARDENS Herb Garden Essentials: Grow Your Own Tasty, Frilly Dill

By Marianne Lipanovich

Flavor your food and attract butterflies with easy-care (and pretty) dill in the garden

Full Story

LANDSCAPE DESIGN How to Create a Cottage-Style Garden

By Claudia De Yong Garden Design

If you like an abundance of plants — and visits from birds, bees and butterflies — this may be the style of yard for you

Full Story

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING Lay of the Landscape: Cottage Garden Style

By Marianne Lipanovich

Informal and vibrant, cottage gardens charm with their billowy abundance. These tips help you bring the look to your own landscape

Full Story

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING 20 Ways to Get the Cottage Garden Look

By Becky Harris

Full Story

HOUZZ TOURS My Houzz: Bohemian Cottage and Vegetable Garden

By Sarah Greenman

Family heirlooms, original art and a verdant edible garden are at the heart of this eclectic cottage in southern Utah

Full Story

BACKYARD STUDIOS 12 Garden Sheds and Cottages We Love Now

By Laura Gaskill

Get inspiration from these inviting backyard spaces that house offices, guest quarters, garden storage and more

Full Story

GARDENING GUIDES 6 Gift-Giving Gardens for Delights Beyond the Visual

By Laura Gaskill

Grow your own natural dyes, snip herbs for home brews and more ... these creative gardens have benefits beyond beauty alone

Full Story

GARDENING GUIDES Seeds or Seedlings? How to Get Your Garden Started

By Abundant City

Growing delicious herbs and vegetables starts with knowing your goals and when you want to plant

Full Story

COTTAGE STYLE My Houzz: Creativity Flows in a New Hampshire Cottage

By Rikki Snyder

Simplicity and natural surroundings provide inspiration for an artist’s work and for her home’s peaceful, pretty interiors

Full Story

159

Herbs for cottage garden in SA

Comments (4)

andy_sa

Daisyduckworth

Related Discussions

Spatzbear

Jamus_S

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US